NBA Free Agency 2013: Teams That Notriously Overspend

As NBA free agency 2013 begins to heat up, there are some teams that will use their cap space wisely. Whether it's the San Antonio Spurs or even the Miami Heat, spending judiciously is always the way to go.

There are some franchises, however, that are notorious for overspending on the wrong players and not getting commensurate results.

Which teams will follow their history and overspend once again this offseason?

Read on to find out.

Phoenix Suns

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Despite some big contracts on the roster, the Phoenix Suns were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

The Suns signed Goran Dragic to a four-year, $34 million deal last summer. Dragic was not horrible, averaging 14.7 points per game and 7.4 assists. But he was at the helm of an offense that averaged just 95.2 points per game, which was 21st in the league.

The $8.5 million a year the Suns pay Dragic is way too much for simply middling results.

In addition, the Suns drastically overpaid for Michael Beasley last summer, giving him an ill-advised three-year deal worth $18 million. Beasley averaged 10.1 points last season, but the former Kansas State star has yet to live up this potential. If anything, that $6 million per year could've better spent on filling the roster with quality perimeter defenders and better shooting.

The Suns, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, are not expected to become big players in the free-agency market, potentially avoiding the Josh Smith sweepstakes.

Still, considering their dire needs on offense and their ill-advised spending spree last year, they could overpay for someone like Monta Ellis or Brandon Jennings. That would improve their offense but make their defense—that allowed 101.6 points per game last season—arguably worse.

Staying out of the market would be wise. But if their history is any indication, they'll make an ill-advised move that sets their franchise back.

Luckily, the Knicks have just $3 million in cap space to work with, per Spotrac, which is a good thing, since it means they can't overpay for mediocre players. On the other hand, it's a bit of bad thing, since the Knicks have some gaping holes on the roster.

Restraint should applied, but the Knicks could use sign-and-trades or use the mini-mid-level exception to sign somebody. That means the Knicks could re-sign J.R. Smith or add some interior depth.

Given the Knicks' history, it wouldn't be surprising to see New York to use the mini-MLE or a trade exception to sign someone like TimofeyMozgov.

Of course, given that Mozgov averaged just 2.6 minutes last year and is best known as a verb, that would be a gross misuse of finances.

The Knicks are in a predicament, given that they need so much, but because they have so much money tied up in three players—Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler—they're handcuffed.

Given their history, that may be a good thing.

Los Angeles Lakers

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Entering last season, the Lakers were expected to dominate the Western Conference. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol already in tow, and the additions of Dwight Howard via trade and Steve Nash, the expectations were sky high in L.A.

Things didn't work out so well. Nash, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract, missed 32 games with injury and averaged just 6.7 assists when he was healthy.

The Lakers gave up a lot for Dwight Howard and were rewarded with drama and a quick playoff exit.

Of course, with Howard possibly leaving via free agency, and with the team needing a plan after Kobe Bryant, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Lakers doled out a lot of money for Brandon Jennings or Josh Smith.

Given their ill-advised experiment last season, each of those moves would be a mistake.